


Mirror Mask

by wellthatjusthappend



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Conditioning, Dick and Jason were taken in by Black Mask instead of Batman, Escape, M/M, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, So much angst, Torture, aftermath fic, battered child syndrome, happens in dicktofen's Mirror Mask AU, messed up "family", trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 07:57:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11271339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellthatjusthappend/pseuds/wellthatjusthappend
Summary: Something has been screaming in Jason since the moment Roman started dragging him back towardsthatroom. Something started to crack in his mind when that brand had been pressed into his skin… Now this felt like something had broken.A continuation off of MissNaya’s Mirror Mask AU





	Mirror Mask

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MissNaya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissNaya/gifts).



> MissNaya just posted a short little snippet from her Mirror Mask AU (x) where Dick and Jason get taken in by Roman Sionis (Black Mask) instead of Bruce. I almost died in the last little bit so I got permission to write an aftermath short.

Jason hadn’t expected Dick to try and cover for him. He didn’t know why he did it. Dick was supposed to their father’s loyal lapdog. Jason had been right there on the other side of the door shaking uncontrollably, the taste of come still foul and thick in his mouth, the agony of the brand still pulsing on his back. Was waiting for Roman to come in there and and drag Jason down to  _ that _ room and the world of hurt that would surely make him wish he’d never existed. 

But then a short quick lie was falling from Dick’s mouth. A weak  _ protection. _ The shock had barely registered before he was hearing the tinkle of broken mirror shards from the mask, and Dick’s sudden soft cry of pain.

“ _ Never lie to me _ ,” there was such fury in Roman’s voice Jason felt sick with the wave of sheer terror it invoked in him.

“I was just-”

“I  _ know _ what you were doing. But if you’re so keen on protecting your cute little brother I suppose you can take his punishment instead now, can’t you?” 

Jason couldn’t make himself move.  _ Coward, coward! _ He snarled at himself digging his fingernails into his arms until they bled. Dick was already being taken back to the room for Jason’s “punishment”. Jason shouldn’t be letting this happen. That was supposed to be him. He shouldn’t be letting Dick get hurt on his behalf. 

The sound of Dick’s first scream sprung Jason into action. He was out his door and down the hall past the broken Mirror Mask before he had a complete plan formulated. Just something to make this  _ stop.  _ He hadn’t realized he’d been planning on telling Roman not to give Dick his punishment until he was at the door. Until he fully realized that if Roman saw him Jason would probably still get the punishment he’d barely evaded before. 

Evaded with a significant personal cost, his throat and back wanted to remind him.

Jason almost went in anyway. But then he realized… putting himself under Roman’s hand wouldn’t make their father stop hurting Dick. In fact he might hurt them more. The fact that they could be perceived as banding together against him and would in fact rain down an even worse consequences. 

Jason hid himself in the hallway outside the door and rocked himself back and forth while he listened to Dick’s pain. The motion pulled at his new burns and hurt horrible so he did it more insistently. You deserve this pain, he told himself, it’s your fault for running away. It’s your fault he’s being hurt. It’s all your fault.

_ “Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay little bro, I love you, I’ve got you, you’re alright,” _ Dick’s hands had been shaking so much when he’d held him down for his brand. It was standing out really clearly in his mind right then. And Dick is such lying lying  _ liar _ Jason shouldn’t- but he’d sounded too gutted to be faking it, and he’d even lied to  _ Roman _ to try and keep him safe.

Dick called him his little brother all the time. Roman referred to him as such too, but- Jason hadn’t come into this fucked up household so late that he’d forgotten that  _ families weren’t like this. _ Not like Dick seemed to have forgotten. He’d never really taken Dick seriously when he’d called him family, because, well, he’d also try to get into his pants every now and then and so that was proof he was just being manipulative as usual. But then again, Roman had been Dick’s “father” since Dick was quite young. Had messed up that definition thoroughly for him both by sleeping with Dick and whoring him out to smooth business deals. 

Jason buried his face in his knees when Dick’s cried became choked and muffled. He had a pretty good idea of what was going on in there. He tried to hold onto the reassurance that Roman probably wouldn’t do anything that would mar Dick’s body permanently. Not like he took pleasure in with Jason. 

It seemed to last forever.

Jason held himself as small as he could when Roman came out but fortunately he didn’t see him. Instead, Roman went to Jason’s door and locked it securely from the outside before continuing on his way. Jason felt the panic rising up in him. He’d been locked in his room before for a few days once when he’d shown reluctance to spending time with Roman. There was no way out. Or in. If Roman discovered that he wasn’t in his room later it would be hell to pay. Jason would be lucky if there was a scrap of skin on his body he could still call his own. The best thing to do would be to go turn himself in and hope for a lesser punishment and furry. But the thought of interacting with Roman that night with the sadistic mood he was in…

Dick had still not stumbled up, Jason realized as he stalled for time. He’d just go check on him real fast before he convinced a minion to tell Roman he couldn’t seem to get back into his room after his bath to clean his burn. Yeah, that would be good. 

He was not prepared to find Dick still naked, tied down, and gagged. Jason wasn’t even sure if he was still conscious. There was puddles of water all over the room and Dick was dripping wet.  His skin was pink and swollen, overlapping bruises starting to show all over. He realized with horror that the room had already been cleaned up for the night. That Roman had just left Dick here to- Dick’s breathing was shallow enough that it scared Jason, his eyes hazy and unseeing. 

Would Roman really leave him here if there was a chance he would die?

Yes, he swallowed thickly, yes he would. Because at the end of the day, between his two sons Jason was the favorite. Dick was a pretty asset, but ultimately expendable.

Before Jason could contemplate the consequences he was unting Dick and pulling off his gag. Dick made a soft pained sound when Jason started tugging his clothes back on be otherwise remained limp. He had to get him out of there. Roman might kill him for the betrayal. Dick would probably want to go right back. But Jason was suddenly certain in that moment that one way or another- by “accident” or on purpose- Roman was going to end up killing Dick. Even though Dick was the most loyal and devoted person on earth to their father. Jason had to- he had to get Dick out. 

Jason was the bad one, really. The unlovable one that only Roman would accept. Dick was magnetic though. Beautiful. People loved him the moment they laid eyes on him. If he could get away from all this maybe there’d still be some kind of chance for him out there. Not like Jason. 

There was only one person Jason knew that could keep his brother out of reach of Black Mask.

Jason stuck out with Dick draped properly unconscious now over his shoulders. He didn’t dare call for a cab, Black Mask owned too many of them,  instead stuck to the shadows. The pain from his brand was aggravated from all the activity and it was making him dizzy and unsteady on his feet. Every step he expected masked men to remerge from the shadows and drag them both back. But there was nothing, just-

“Jason.” and gulented hand laid on his shoulder

His lower lip tried to quiver so he bit it before turning.

“Batman.” he said, like everything he was begging for was in that one word. Maybe it was, because the next second Batman was carefully lifting Dick off of Jason and into his arms.

“What happened to him?” asked Bruce.

“I- Roma- my dad, was really angry that I’d run away and-” Jason tried to suck in deep breaths, but that wasn’t working. Instead everything was coming out more and more frantic as Batman laid an unconscious Dick into the back of the Batmobile and it started to sink in fully just what he’d done.

“My fault, this is my fault.” Jason realized he was whimpering over and over.

“No.” Batman’s voice was a command that left no room for argument, “No. This is no one’s fault Jason but the man who did this.”

“No, Dick’s so good most of the time he doesn’t get punished unless he wants it. My fault- I, he was protecting me-” Jason tried to explain.

“No.” Batman repeated kneeling down in front of him, “Neither of you deserve any of the pain that man gives you.”

Batman didn’t understand. It’s part of why Jason had left. He truly seemed to believe that there was something good about Jason. And while that feeling was intoxicating, it also just made him anxious all the time waiting for Batman to realize his mistake. Only Roman really saw how worthless and unlovable Jason was and wanted him anyway. Batman couldn’t- Jason- he’d gotten Dick to someone who’d take care of him now he needed to-

Apparently get picked up like he weighed nothing and tucked into the Batmobile next to his brother. 

“Wh- No, I’ve got to get back.” Jason started to protest.

“Jason,” Batman said steadily, “Jason, he will kill you for this.”

“No, let me go! You don’t understand I’ve got to go back!” Jason yelled even as Batman ignored his cried and climbed into the driver's seat, something horrible and pained tugging downward at his mouth. 

“I can’t let you do that. Letting you go back now would be almost as bad as pulling the trigger myself.” Batman was unrelenting. 

“He’d not going to kill me!” Jason protested weakly, “I’ll get an ass whopping but it’ll be ok after it blows over.”

More than an ass whopping. He’d probably get tortured within an inch of his life and then start the process all over again. But, that wasn’t going to convince the Bat to let him go.

“No. I know Roman, we grew up together. He will kill you before you even can say a word.” Batman said with certainty and ok that did sound like Roman but-

“Little brother…?” Dick mumbled confused and disoriented and pained. Jason shh’ed him. Let Dick push a little closer the way Jason didn’t allow normally because Dick’s intentions were never innocent. Not like now. 

“I- I’ll stay until he’s better. That I know you’ve got him and are gonna keep him safe. Then I gotta go back.” Jason said shakily and Dick slipped back under. 

Batman said nothing and Jason got the distinct impression he wouldn’t be letting either of them go back without a fight.

**Author's Note:**

> What happens next? I want to know that too! I can’t wait to see!
> 
> I think it’d be interesting to examine what Bruce and Dick’s relationship would become in this AU. I could see Dick becoming unhealthily fixated on Batman who offers him kindness but not touch. So completely opposite of Roman. And Dick struggles with his conditioned need for Roman too, but especially while dick is healing and unable to really make any attempt to get back he could come to life for every quick and respectful touch. That and urge to make Batman dirty would be intoxicating.


End file.
